1. Structures to Promote Student Engagement
IMSA Fusion POP Workshop
April Capuder

2. Goals Learn basic principles of cooperative learning
Experience and learn cooperative structures that can be used by students to build knowledge, process information, present information and build teams.
Develop team building ideas to promote cooperation between students.

3. Team Management Mat Used to help organize and manage students
Number in center of your MAT is the Team number
The number in the colored squares is a student’s number for that seat in the team
Student 1 & 2 and Student 3 & 4 are considered Shoulder partners
Student 1 & 4 and Student 2 & 3 are considered Face Partners
You’ll see how the MAT can be utilized throughout the workshop this morning.

4. RallyRobin: Non-content
Teacher announces question and gives Think time.
Partner A goes 1st , sharing one idea per turn.
After the 1st partner shares one idea, partner B shares one idea; repeat.
You “Rally” the topic like this until the teacher calls time.
If you were a vending machine, think of items you might dispense and why?
If you were a vending machine, think of items you might dispense and why?
Good idea to introduce a structure or way you’d like students to specifically interact while working together using something that is not content related so students can focus on how to work together and not have to worry about the new content as well.
This structure works well if you expect that students will have multiple short answers to a question, like name different types of polygons.

5. RallyRobin: Content Teacher announces question and gives Think time.
Partner A goes 1st , sharing one idea per turn.
After the 1st partner shares one idea, partner B shares one idea; repeat.
You “Rally” the topic like this until the teacher calls time.
Share one idea at a time what your currently know about Cooperative Learning, including perceived benefits and shortcomings?
Share one idea at a time what your currently know about Cooperative Learning, including perceived benefits and shortcomings?
Used in class as way to bring up what we did last time in class: List the things you learned at last IMSA class.
RallyRobin with your shoulder partner ways you might use RallyRobin in a classroom.

6. PIES: Basic Principles of Kagan
RallyRobin Analysis
Positive Interdependence: Students gain from good answers from each other.
Individual Accountability: Individual public performance is required by each partner
Equal Participation: Participation is approximately equal, each partner took turns.
Simultaneous Interaction: Percent of students that are overtly interacting at once, 50%.
All structures presented today incorporate these basic principles of PIES
Actively Engaged: Comedian Example
Why cooperative structures: 70% of students will be working in occupations where they will have to work with others to complete a task.

7. Single RoundRobin Teacher announces topic and gives think time.
Using the topic given, partner 1 goes 1st.
After the 1st partner shares one idea, team “Round” the topic until each teammate has had one turn.
If you could be anyone for a week, who would it be? Explain why?
About me question cards: If you could be anyone for a week, who would it be? Explain why?
Good summary strategy: Have students RoundRobin (either single or continuous until teacher says stop) what they’ve learned today.

8. Single RoundRobin Teacher announces topic and gives think time.
Using the topic given, partner 1 goes 1st.
After the 1st partner shares one idea, team “Round” the topic until each teammate has had one turn.
Name one of the four basic principles of cooperative structures.
Name one of the four basic principles of cooperative structures.
If presenting a lot of information to class, good idea to stop every 10 to 15 minutes depending on age of students and present a summarizing question that focuses on concepts you want to be sure the students take away.
RallyRobin with your shoulder partner ways you might use Single RoundRobin in a classroom.

9. FUN Board Each person take a white board and marker
Divide board into 4 quadrants
Use white board and have each students divide it into 4 quadrants.
F – What do you like to do for fun?
U – What university/universities did you attend?
N – What is something novel/new about you?
Set timer for 3 minutes

10. Mix – Pair - Share
Students stand up and silently “Mix” around the classroom.
Listen for teacher to call “Pair”.
Pair up with the person closest to you and high five. If you don’t have a partner, keep your hand up until you do.
Teacher asks a questions and gives Think Time.
Partners share using:
RallyRobin or Timed Pair Share
Can use this structure with any of the discussion questions at the end of IMSA activity and/or use as a way to build teams for that day of IMSA activity.

11. Timed Pair Share
Teacher announces question and gives Think time: you will be sharing your FUN board.
Partner A shares and Partner B listens until time is up.
Listen for Beep to Switch Roles, and share again.
Partners tell each other “thanks for sharing”
Use with Mix-Pair-Share Activity –
Turn (2) timer for 30 seconds to share their FUN acronym
Partner whose head is closest to ceiling will share fun board first.
RallyRobin with shoulder partner ways you would use Mix-Pair-Share in classroom
RallyRobin with face partner ways you would use Timed Pair Share in classroom
Partner whose head is closest to ceiling will
share FUN board first

12. TeamBuilding
Is a process by which a group of 4 students with different backgrounds and experiences become a cooperative and caring team
Should be done ________ times a week. Best done up against the “bell”
RoundRobin: If you could be anyone for a week, who would it be? Explain why? (30 seconds per person)
FUN Non-Content Question is Easy for All
Should be done 2 times per week. Best done last 3-5 minutes of class period. Attached are all types of questions that can be used for TeamBuilding.

13. ClassBuilding
Is a process by which a room full of students with different backgrounds and experiences become a caring community of active learners
Should be done ________ times a week just for fun & done to help with content as appropriate.
StandUp HandUp PairUP: Checking homework
Stand UP Move Around work w/ someone else and share
Should be done 1 time per week just for fun and done with content as appropriate:
StandUp HandUp PairUp – checking homework
Mix – Pair – Share: using questions from handout for fun

14. *** Keep students on same Team for 6 weeks
Team Formation
Ideal to have teams heterogeneously grouped
High (Blue, seat 1 on team mat)
High Medium (Green, seat 4 on team mat)
Low Medium (Yellow, seat 2 on team mat)
Low (Read, seat 3 on team mat)
Ideal to have teams of 4. If have to have teams of 5 or 3 be sure to seat a HIGHLY motivated student in the 5th or 3rd seat.
Ideal to keep same teams for 6 weeks
*** Keep students on same Team for 6 weeks

15. Troubleshooting
90% of all struggles associated with incorporating cooperative structures into the classroom are due to not following
Teaming formation recommendations
Heterogenous (H, LM, L, HM)
4 per team is best, if 5 per team seat 5 is most motivated student in that seat 
Keep in teams for 6 weeks
TeamBuilding
Fun, No Content, Easy for All
2 times/week
Best to fit in last 3-5 minutes of class
ClassBuilding
StandUp, Move, Share
1 time/week for fun & use with content as appropriate

16. Resources
Kagan Cooperative Learning by Dr. Spencer Kagan and Miguel Kagan
Classbuilding by Miguel Kagan, Laurie Kagan and Dr. Spencer Kagan
TimerTools, teamTools and SelectorTools by Kagan
Copies of presentation and handouts can be found here: